Stuck on You
by Hananian
Summary: COMPLETE... Rodney's excited to show his newest discovery to Elizabeth, but you know it's not gonna turn out well.
1. Chapter 1

**Stuck on You – Chapter 1**

"Elizabeth! You have GOT to see this!"

Elizabeth looked up, startled, from the file she was reading, to see Dr. Rodney McKay, chief scientist, chief sarcastic wit and chief snark. He was standing there in the doorway of her office, bouncing on his toes in anticipation.

"What is it, Rodney? I'm pretty busy at the moment." In contrast, she was calm, though after 4 hours of reports and paperwork on room assignments, power usage and coffee supplies; she was ready for a break. But she couldn't let HIM see that. It was so much more fun to make him work for it. Bessides, she was sure if it was important enough for him to come all the way to her office to get her, it would probably be worth her time.

Rodney immediately stopped bouncing, a look of shock on his face that she didn't jump up right away, as excited as he was. The shock was quickly replaced by the "hurt little boy who had just been told Santa wasn't real" look. She hated that look. She gave in every time.

"But…Elizabeth…you really should see this. It will be worth the walk. Trust me." Rodney smiled triumphantly as she sighed and got up. He turned to lead her out, the bounce once again in his step. Elizabeth slowly followed him, her eyes watching his shoulders. _Wow…either he's been working out, or those missions are tougher than I realized. He's really got shoulders. Strong. _Her eyes slid lower of their own accord. _Whoa! And an even nicer…_

Before her brain could even finish the thought, Rodney turned to see what was taking her so long. She quickly looked up, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment at being caught looking at his butt. She risked a glance at his eyes, and rather than amusement, he appeared puzzled. Elizabeth quickly bit her lip to hold back a burst of laughter as Rodney craned his head to look down his back, seeming to look for what she found so fascinating. Apparently finding nothing, he gave a small shrug and gestured her forward. "Come on. Come on," he urged. "This is amazing!"

Getting her mirth under control and speeding up to walk next to him, she couldn't help but be saddened at the loss of view. _Ohhh…but now I can see those incredible eyelashes! _Those eyelashes that were thicker and longer than any woman, man or child's she'd ever seen. She realized she was being obvious again and quickly resumed her diplomatic façade as they entered his lab and stopped in front of one of the work desks.

"So…what am I looking at and why is it fascinating me?" she asked with a slight smile. She loved seeing Rodney like this. Hyper and excited to show off his newest treasure. Like the Energizer bunny with a car sized battery.

"It's glue!" Rodney beamed at her.

"Umm…glue?" Apparently she was missing something important. Either that or he'd been sniffing said glue too long and decided it was the answer to the mysteries of the universe. Hoping it was the former and not the latter, she asked, "What's so wonderful about glue?

Rodney looked up in shock, before seeming to realize that a bit more explanation was required. "It's not just glue, Elizabeth. It's…some kind of epoxy the Ancients used. I found the formula for it in the database. They used it for EVERYTHING! For repairs on the city buildings. In building and repairing the stargates. A variation of it is hardened and shaped to make the windows all throughout the city. That's why a bullet won't even go through! A much weaker version was used in their medical ward, better than stitches. Even for mending broken bones! Full strength, it's unbreakable. This stuff is so strong; it could have even made the U.S.S. Minnow seaworthy again!" He finished with a grin.

Elizabeth laughed at that last line, then looked at the beaker of gold colored goop with more respect, even a touch of awe. Rodney continued, his hands suddenly busy as he placed the container over the Ancient version of a Bunsen burner and continued his litany. "Not only that, but it appears, if you heat it to just the right temperature, it will reach a rubber-like consistency, not sticky, but remain pliable enough to use for everything from chewing gum to replacing our shoes' soles!" While talking, he stirred the beaker carefully as it heated up. They both leaned closer, cheeks almost touching as they watched the color change as it heated, turning almost clear.

"What is going on in here?" a nasally voice whined from behind them. Elizabeth whirled around, startled at the noise. At that point, chaos erupted in the lab. In a fraction of a second, Kavanaugh jerked in surprise at who McKay was snuggled close to, Elizabeth's elbow caught Rodney's arm as she spun around and Rodney's arm jerked involuntarily, shattering the glass container and showering Elizabeth's neck and back with the substance.

Realizing he'd caused it and knowing he was going to be on the receiving end of a furious Rodney McKay's acerbic tongue, Kavanaugh disappeared as fast as he could, closing the door behind him. Elizabeth fairly screamed out in pain. "RODNEY! Help me! It's HOT!" She pulled at her back, trying to get the shirt away from her back.

Without thought, Rodney reacted. He bent her forward and quickly stripped her shirt over her head, getting the scalding goop off her as fast as possible then pulled her upright. His right hand went to the back of her neck, moving her hair out of the way and examining her back for signs of burns. Other than redness, she appeared okay.

He reached his left hand up to gently cup her cheek, pulling her head up to look at him. Her eyes were closed tight and she was shaking. "Elizabeth… Elizabeth, are you alright?" No response. "Please, talk to me!" He used the hand on her neck to pull her closer, resting her head on his shoulder, gently smoothing his left hand over her hair while he attempted to calm his heart's racing tempo.

Elizabeth let out a shuddering sigh and pulled back, quietly thankful for Rodney's hand still on her neck. She felt like it was the only thing keeping her upright. "I'm sorry. Bad memories. I was in a car wreck once. Somehow, it splashed gas on my back and ignited my coat. I didn't think they'd get it out in time and I couldn't reach it myself." She shuddered at the memory playing in her mind and shook her head, trying to clear it. "I'm okay, Rodney. It was just really, REALLY hot." She smiled up at him, slightly sheepish.

"Just the same, I want Carson to look at your back. I don't want any residual problems. Umm…" he looked at the floor, then back up with a little blush. "Umm…I think your shirt's a lost cause. I'm so sorry. I have a spare lab coat you can use though." He was very careful to keep his eyes focused on her face, avoiding looking at her chest the best he could.

She smiled at him thankfully. "That would be wonderful, Rodney, thanks. I don't really think seeing their leader parading through the halls of Atlantis in her underwear would inspire a lot of confidence," she said with a wry smile.

Rodney still stood there, his hand on her neck, his thumb toying with her hair and smiled at her gently. "Don't worry. I don't think there is anything you could do to make any of them lose confidence in you. Nothing." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead lightly then rested his forehead against hers for a moment longer.

Elizabeth smiled at him in gratitude and started to pull away. "Um…that lab coat?" She tried to step back, but Rodney tightened his grip on her neck almost painfully. "Rodney…not that this isn't…nice, but you can let go now. I'm okay."

"Actually….I…umm…can't." The last words were barely a whisper. "I'm stuck."


	2. Chapter 2

**Stuck on You – Chapter 2**

"Stuck? What do you mean you're stuck?" Elizabeth spoke calmly, using all her willpower to fight the uneasy feeling that seemed to swell almost instantly. "I appreciate a good joke as well as anyone Rodney, and with a little better timing, this could be nice, but I need to get back to finish my paperwork, not to mention I have a briefing with AR-4 in 20 minutes. So let go."

"That's what I'm **trying** to do, Elizabeth. But I can't! Apparently, some of the glue got onto your neck. While holding my hand there, to help you, it set." Rodney squared his shoulders and said with a slight whine, "It's not my fault, Elizabeth. I was just helping. If you hadn't bumped into…"

"Rodney, stop. I didn't say it **was** your fault. I'm not blaming you." Elizabeth tried not to roll her eyes as she attempted to calm the upset scientist. "Wait a minute. You're serious, aren't you? Your hand is actually GLUED to my neck! Rodney! You said this stuff was unbreakable!" The panic was back, causing her voice to take on an edge that scared Rodney even more.

Rodney cringed, and then tried to recover his bravado, though he wasn't sure how well he pulled it off. Elizabeth didn't get scared, and if she did, she'd never shown it. She was the one that calmed him. If **she **was frightened, then he should be in the middle of a full blown panic attack! Rodney closed his eyes for a moment and pretended he still had his green turtle broach on. _No one can hurt me with my shield. No one can hurt me with my shield._ He repeated the thought like a mantra, slowing his breathing and almost returning his heart rate to normal. _Just a few more minutes. I can do this. Just a few more…_

"RODNEY! Are you even listening to me! Don't you dare faint while attached to me!" Elizabeth tried to quell the panic while insuring she didn't end up dragging an unconscious scientist around like an oversized necklace. "Rodney! It's okay. I'm sure Dr. Beckett can figure something out. While you may have amazing eyelashes, I prefer to stick with wearing the necklace my mother gave me." She smiled at him gently, hoping he'd calmed enough to think straight.

"Carson. Yes! If anyone can help us, Carson can! He may be able to find a…. wait a minute. You think my eyelashes are amazing? What's so amazing? They're eyelashes. They don't even do that great a job of shielding stuff from my eyes like they're supposed to." He looked at her in confusion, appearing unable to follow her train of thought.

Elizabeth laughed. _He can be dense when it comes to that sort of stuff. Sheesh!_ She realized he was waiting for an answer and blushed slightly, trying to come up with a reply that wouldn't make it worse. "It's just….they're long and thick. And…I don't know. They just...they're the first thing I notice when I look at your face and they're...interesting." Elizabeth stopped talking, feeling her face flame as she finished the explanation.

Rodney looked thoughtful, and then permitted a small smile. "Yes, well…" He didn't seem to know what to say after that, and quickly slipped back into scientist mode, clearing his throat as he attempted to get his thoughts straight. "You know, Carson's not gonna be able to fix this. He may be a great doctor, but he's not gonna be able to break something the Ancients labeled an unbreakable bond. I'm gonna have to see what I can do with the information in the Ancient database, though I don't see how that will do any good. Even they..."

"Rodney. Stop. You're making me dizzy. Just humor me on this, please? Even if Dr. Beckett can't figure it out, let's just give him the chance, okay? You never know. He may have found something in his research that's related to the medical applications for this stuff. Just relax and we'll see what our options are." Rodney stopped short, though more from her interruption than from running out of words. He never seemed to run out of those, Elizabeth though with a small grin.

She managed to finally get the lab coat on, after realizing she'd spent all that time arguing with Rodney without a shirt on. She wasn't sure if she should be thankful or insulted that Rodney didn't even seem to notice after the first couple moments. Deciding to NOT go there with her thoughts at the moment, she pulled the coat closed and they headed out of the labs to the infirmary.

While it wasn't that long a walk, it seemed to go on forever. Rodney was walking on her left, his right hand firmly attached to the nape of her neck. The looks people gave them were interesting, to say the least. Everyone looked at them with a small, polite smile and nod as they passed, then did a quick double take when they realized something just wasn't right. Elizabeth's face flamed and she knew without even looking Rodney's was the same. She was pretty sure this little escapade was going to start some rumors they'd never get rid of. She'd never been happier to reach anywhere as she was when the infirmary doors finally shut behind them.

Elizabeth heard the good doctor's distinctive voice and followed the sound, Rodney following quietly, either his mind was working on the problem or he was still trying to hide his embarrassment. Interestingly enough, as she tensed up, she could feel his thumb, thankfully not stuck down, rubbing her neck and the base of her hairline gently, apparently subconsciously. She wondered if she should say something, but at this moment in time, it felt way too good. Dragging her thoughts back to the matter at hand, she called out to Carson.

"Dr. Beckett? Can we see you for a moment please?"

"Aye, Lass, ye can. What seems to be the problem? Ah. Didya hurt yer neck?" His trained eye seemed to catch the oddity immediately, but was at a loss as to why Rodney was holding her neck for her.

"Umm…Carson, we have a…slight problem. Can we maybe go somewhere a bit more…private to discuss it?" Rodney couldn't even fathom how he was going to explain this.

"Aye, we can. Follow me." He led them to one of the isolation rooms and shut the door behind him. "There now. What seems to be the problem? Your neck, Dr. Weir? Let me have a good look at it now." Rodney sat there, not moving. "Rodney, I can nae look at her neck if ye don't let her go."

"Well…actually Carson, that IS the problem. I can't seem to let go."

Carson looked at Rodney with a slight smile. The kind that people give when they know a joke's been told, but can't figure out the punch line and don't want to seem the idiot by asking.. "Aye, of course ye can't. And I don't blame ye a wee bit for wanting to hold on to a pretty lass. But I can nae look at her neck if ye're gonna keep yer hand glued to it. Let go."

" Oh ha ha. Very funny." Rodney was obviously not amused, his words dripping with sarcasm. "Carson, I CAN'T. That's what I've been trying to tell you if you'd pay attention and stop trying to start up a side job as a comedian."

Carson looked at Rodney for a moment, and then looked to Elizabeth in confusion. She sighed quietly and nodded in confirmation. "He's telling you the truth, Carson. He's quite...stuck."

Carson stood there, not sure if they were joking or not. He was truly hoping they were, but he had a sick feeling that his day was gonna be quite busy for a good long while.


	3. Chapter 3

**Stuck on You – Chapter 3**

Elizabeth was getting a headache. After multiple explanations to Carson to explain what had happened, he seemed to at least accept the fact that the expedition leader and the head scientist were going to be really close friends for a while, if not permanently. Carson had assured her it wouldn't be permanent, but how he was going to bring THAT promise to fruition, she had no idea.

"Ah lass. Don't worry. If nothin' else, we'll jest cut his hand off." While he said it with a grin, Rodney, who had retreated with his own thoughts into his brain about 20 minutes ago, wasn't paying attention. THAT sentence, however, jerked his attention back and he began to sputter quickly.

"WHAT! You can't cut my hand off! I can't do my job without both hands. And this city would never make it without my skills. You'd be stuck with just Zelenka. And besides, it's my right hand! Carson, you can not have my right hand. Period." Rodney ran out of breath, and started to drag in another one. When it appeared he had no intention of stopping there, Elizabeth quickly jumped into the break.

"Rodney! Calm down. He was kidding. You're not going to lose your hand. Besides, I'm sure you're going to figure something out. You're not going to be stuck to my neck forever. Right?" When he didn't answer right away, Elizabeth gave him a quick look. "Right, Rodney?"

"What? Oh yes. Right. Of course. Sorry, I was thinking of how we can fix this and realizing we have a few things that need to be…taken care of and pretty soon." He said this last part almost embarrassed.

Elizabeth couldn't imagine what would be so urgent it couldn't wait until they'd solved this and was about to ask when Rodney's stomach growled loudly. She couldn't help but laugh quietly and reply, "Ah, yes. Food. We can't have you getting light-headed while trying to figure this out. However…I'm not sure going to the commissary is quite the best idea." After the looks they'd gotten walking down the halls earlier, the thought of the stares while she tried to eat was enough to put her off her appetite entirely.

"Umm.. yeah. Food is important. But…that's not my biggest problem at the moment." Again, his face turned read and he lowered his head and mumbled something incoherently.

"What was that last part, Rodney? I couldn't make it out," Elizabeth asked, truly confused.

He looked up, and repeated, "I **said, **'I really have to use the bathroom' and I have no idea how that's gonna work."

Elizabeth felt her face flame and realized his predicament. Unfortunately, his bringing the topic up reminded her that she hadn't used the restroom in hours and the need was becoming a bit pressing as well. Her mind raced, trying and failing to come up with a way this would work out and let them maintain a portion of their dignity. Looking up at Rodney, it was obvious he was using his considerable brain power on the same problem and coming up equally stumped. She could feel his hand tightening on her neck in his anxiety and some corner of her mind registered the slight pain, but along with that, the realization that she could tell what he was feeling much easier. His emotions were seldom shown to the world, but she could feel the increased tension just in his hand.

"Oh, for goodness sake! It's nae that difficult! You kin use the bathroom here in the medical bay and cover yer eyes." Carson was trying valiantly not to laugh, but he knew if he didn't get them out of there soon, he was going to, and for a long time. However, if the looks on their faces were any indication, neither of them was ready to see the humor of the situation.

Elizabeth was relieved at the simple suggestion and looked at Rodney for agreement. Rodney on the other hand, was looking at her with something that looked a lot like nervousness and…suspicion. "Are you certain you can keep your eyes covered?"

She laughed out loud at that, and shook her head in amusement, hoping he wasn't offended, as would sometimes happen. Instead, she caught the barest hint of a smile and she realized it was his way of breaking the tension. She smiled and stood, leading the way to the restroom and motioned for him to go first.

She stood with her back to him, covering her eyes with both hands, hearing him rustle around, and then…nothing. She stood there until she couldn't stand it anymore, before finally asking, "Rodney? Are you okay?"

She heard him sigh, then "No. I'm not. I can't…I can't go while you're standing there listening. Can't you talk or…or sing or something?" He didn't sounds snarky, just embarrassed and frustrated. She stifled a giggle and thought fast.

"Nope. But I can do better than that. Make yourself presentable, we're about to have company. Carson!" With barely a pause, Carson was there. "Could you please give me a few cotton balls? Carson seemed puzzled, but complied without question. _Bless the man, he must put up with strange things if he didn't even question my request, _she thought.

Stuffing them in her ears, she spoke loudly over her shoulder to Rodney. "THERE YOU GO, PROBLEM SOLVED. I CAN'T HEAR A SOUND. JUST DON'T FORGET TO TELL ME WHEN YOU'RE DONE!" Rodney looked at her back for a minute, and took advantage of her inability to see his face and temporarily let his features soften in gratitude. His bladder concerns quickly overcame his sentiment and he refocused, completing his task as fast as possible and then reached up to pull a cotton ball out of her ear, simultaneously turning her around with a smile.

"Much better, though…well, let's just say…you ever tried to write with your left hand?" He looked embarrassed, but with a slight gleam in his eyes, which let her know he could at least find the humor in the situation now that his part was done. They quickly reversed positions, and Rodney squeezed his eyes tight, and used his free hand to cover his eyes to reassure Elizabeth he was a man of honor. While he was a normal, red-blooded male, and did find her attractive as any man would, sharing a bathroom with her before he even learned her middle name was NOT something he wanted to burn into his brain by seeing more of her than he should. He intended to forget this embarrassing little pit stop as soon as humanly possible.

As soon as Elizabeth tapped him on the shoulder, he turned with a slight smile. "Not even a LITTLE peak, Scout's Honor." Elizabeth laughed at that, blushing slightly, but as Rodney had, feeling better now that it was over.

"Alright. One major obstacle hurdled. Now, food time. However, I'm not sitting in the commissary. I have some snacks in my quarters. If it's okay with you, I'd rather just go there." It was the best solution Elizabeth could come up with. Rodney nodded gratefully, looking relieve to be avoiding the stares himself.

They thanked Carson several times, assured him not to worry, and asked him to not tell any more people than he had to. Yes, word would get around, but they were hoping to stall the rumors as much as possible. That taken care of, they headed to Elizabeth's room. Rodney looked around in surprise.

"Hey! How did you get a couch! AND your own bathroom with a TUB? I only got a shower!" Elizabeth just laughed and smiled enigmatically. She walked to the cabinet in the corner of the main room, Rodney following out of curiosity as much as necessity. She handing Rodney a couple power bars, some chips and…2 ho-ho's.

Rodney stared at them in shock. "Ho-Ho's? How in the world do you have ho-ho's?" He brought the package to his nose, inhaling deeply with a look of pure bliss. She laughed and pulled a third ho-ho out of the cabinet.

"Secret stash. My allowed personal item? Junk food. Enough to last quite a while. A girl's got to have chocolate. But do NOT tell anyone. It's my…well, now OUR secret. Or no chocolate. Deal?" She waved the third ho-ho in front of his face, with an eyebrow raised in question.

Rodney snatched the goodie away faster than she thought he could move and smiled at her with something akin to glee. "You offer me chocolate as long as I can keep my mouth shut? Do you even have to ask? Why would I risk losing out, or worse, having to share with someone else?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, then giggled as they sat down on the couch, Rodney's right arm along the back, sitting sideways facing her. It gave him a perfect view of her profile. The strong chin that reflected the strong temperament that let him get away with nothing. The aristocratic nose that she could look down to make idiots cringe. He smiled at her and slowly began to eat one of the powerbars, making small talk, surprised at how easy it was.

An hour later, as the last of the food was eaten, Elizabeth was surprised to find how effortless it was to talk to Rodney. She'd known he was interesting, just from their after-hours talks while in Antarctica, but those had always been work related. Now, they spoke of their childhood homes, their favorite subjects in school and their first jobs. Anything and everything and she was thoroughly enjoying every minute of it, hoping it could go on for hours more. The entire evening was made better by Rodney's subconscious massaging of her neck while they talked, relaxing her more than she thought possible.

Unfortunately, the mood was spoiled as she let out a huge yawn, too big to even be concealed behind her hand. It was followed seconds later by an identical one from Rodney, then a small smile. "Well, I guess that's our bodies' way of telling us that as much fun as this has been, it has to end…for now. It's bedtime."

He smiled and she returned it, shocked to find herself slightly disappointed that the evening had to come to an end. Then it hit her. Bedtime. She hadn't even thought of it. "Oh. Yes. Well… Can you…I mean, do you mind…sleeping in here? I do have a bigger bed than you."

She was surprised again, as he agreed without argument, "As long as you don't mind if I get a bit more comfortable. I promise I'll leave my boxers on. And I can't take my t-shirt off without cutting it and this happens to be my favorite shirt." He waited patiently for her to agree, and then sat precariously on the edge of the bed, unfastening his pants with difficulty and finally sliding them off, leaving him sitting there in his shorts and t-shirt.

"Close your eyes and stay that way until I tell you, alright?" It didn't take a genius to figure out this time it was HER turn to be embarrassed. At his nod, she slowly pulled the borrowed lab coat off, then her pants, before quickly shimmying into a long button up sleep shirt. "Okay. I'm done. You ready to go to bed?

At his nod of agreement, they carefully climbed under the covers, Rodney laying on his right side, his arm stretched out across her pillows. They both lay stiffly. As comfortable as the last hour or so had been, **this** was completely different. Rodney was a stomach sleeper. He couldn't sleep all night unless he started on his stomach. Elizabeth was a side sleeper, but stayed silent. After quite a while of laying there quietly, Rodney heard Elizabeth's breath even out as she drifted into sleep. He lay there several moments longer, smiling at the thought that he could easily get used to that sound as he followed her into slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

**Stuck on You – Chapter 4**

As the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, Elizabeth stirred slightly in bed. She smiled sleepily, snuggling down and nuzzling her cheek against the pillow she was resting on, trying to postpone that last part of the journey to full wakefulness and resolutely kept her eyes closed tight. She had slept deeply and well – better than she could remember in a **long** time.

Her mind had started to work before her eyes were even open, and as the sleep fuzz began to clear, she realized two things. One- she didn't sleep well for a reason. She just couldn't get used to the beds in Atlantis; they were uncomfortable and too rigid. And two – the mattress under her hand was decidedly UN-hard. It could be called almost…soft, but with a under layer of firmness. She slid her hand across the mattress again, and smiled as she felt soft fur.

_Wait a minute! Since when does my bed have fur!_ She raised her head and finally opened her eyes to look at the unexpected softness and gasped aloud at the sight before her. Instantly, the past day came flooding back to her consciousness and she closed her eyes for a second, before peeking to see if the image was still there.

Yep. Not a dream. There, lying on his back and snoring lightly, was a peacefully sleeping Dr. Rodney McKay. For all his whining about needing a special mattress for his back, he seemed supremely comfortable on hers. Moreover, resting quite comfortably on his chest was **her** hand. She quite firmly told her hand to remove itself and gaped in shock as her traitorous fingers ignored her command and began to toy lightly with the smattering of hair under her hand.

As she lay there, watching him closely, a frown flitted across his features while he slept. Unconsciously, the fingers of his right hand tightened on her neck, pulling her gently back down, guiding her head back to its previous resting place against his chest.

She thought about fighting back against the pressure, but as his thumb resumed the light stroking on the back of her neck like the previous day, she couldn't find it in her heart to protest. She sighed contentedly and decided to live in the moment, her fingers lightly stroking his chest.

Elizabeth had no idea how they were going to get out of this, and was shocked to realize, at that moment, she didn't really care. She was enjoying this side to Rodney, especially during "dinner" the previous night. He had been so relaxed. They had talked openly and freely – no façades, no shields. Just…them. And she had thoroughly enjoyed herself. In addition…if she was any judge of character, which she really hoped so as it was her **job**, Rodney had enjoyed himself also. She would almost be sorry to lose what was becoming her favorite "necklace" when this was all over.

She felt a difference in his breathing, and then felt him stir. The next thing she felt was a kiss to the top of her head. Almost immediately following that sensation was the feeling of him going absolutely still, not even breathing. She held as still as she could, letting him wake up fully and remember the events of the previous day as she had.

After a moment, she felt him resume the slight massage on her neck and felt him take a deep breath and then let it out slowly. She finally couldn't take it any longer and said with a smile in her voice, "Good morning. Sleep well?"

She again felt him freeze, and then he mumbled something she couldn't understand. She looked up at him and said, "Pardon?"

He mumbled, "This isn't a dream?" She shook her head in confirmation and he began to stutter, gesturing with his left hand rapidly. "Oh my God! Elizabeth, I'm so sorry. I have no idea what happened. I promise, when I fell asleep, you were over there," he pointed to the other side of the bed, "and I was all the way over here. I swear I didn't..."

"Rodney." Her interruption was quiet and gentle. "It's perfectly alright. And you can't take all the blame. I'M the one who appears to have moved, not you. Besides, I was just thinking how I haven't slept that well since we got to Atlantis, at least. Can you say you didn't sleep well?"

He seemed to be finally processing the fact that she wasn't mad at him and she could feel him relax next to her. "Actually…I honestly don't remember ever sleeping that well." He blushed and then grinned. "Must be this amazing mattress."

She laughed aloud and slapped his chest in mock anger, then snuggled back down on his chest contentedly. They lay there for several moments, he massaging her neck and she listening to his heartbeat. They stayed like that, strangely calm for a while until he signed and started to sit up, pulling her with him.

"We should probably get up and get going on the day. The longer we lay around, the less time we have to try to fix this." She nodded in agreement, but was surprised at how reluctant she was to end this…whatever it was.

With a minimum of fuss, they were both up and wondering how they would handle the simple things they usually took for granted. Bathroom ablutions, dressing, even eating. After getting through their bathroom breaks as they had perfected the night before, Elizabeth got dressed, settling with a button up shirt rather than try to go thru the neck of her uniform shirt. Rodney got his pants back on, and then they headed to his room so he could clean up and try to figure out his clothes situation.

After a lot of deliberation, Rodney very deliberately stretched the sleeve of his t-shirt. Elizabeth knew it was his favorite and asked, "What are you doing? I thought you liked that shirt?"

"I do. Which is why I'm doing it this way and not cutting it. Hold still for a minute." He pulled his left arm and then his head out of the t-shirt, leaving it bunched up on his right arm near her head. "Okay. I know this is weird, but go with me here please. You pull the shirt on over your head thru the sleeve." He did his best to assist her until finally she had it around her neck below where his hand was joined. Thankfully, due to the previous stretching, it hung loosely.

"Okay…now, just…stretch it more if you need, its okay…and slide it over your shoulders and all the way down." As he spoke, she followed his directions as best as possible, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it. Finally, she stepped out of the shirt and handed it to him.

"I'm afraid it will never be the same again, but at least it's not cut." He smiled at her attempts to reassure him and tossed the shirt into the dirty clothes basket in the corner, then plucked a clean shirt from the closet.

"Okay…same thing, but in reverse. Step into it and pull it up." Elizabeth followed his directions, thanking God that there was no one with a video camera as she wiggled, shimmied and tugged the shirt up. Finally, after much pulling and muttered cursing, the new shirt was around her neck.

As Rodney completed his part of the change of clothes, Elizabeth made an exaggerated motion of wiping her brow. "Whew! I'll never complain about pantyhose again!" She smiled as he paused in pulling the shirt over his head, then spoke while his head was still covered to avoid her eyes.

"Ohh…I've never seen you in nylons. Not fair." His voice took on a distinctive pouting tone, causing her to laugh. She reached over and yanked the shirt the rest of the way over his head to attempt a glare at him, then gave up as she caught the twinkle in his eyes.

Finally clean and dressed, they headed to his lab. Amazingly, they were able to avoid everyone enroute. Mainly because they were up at such an ungodly hour. However, most of the credit went to Elizabeth. She knew the city better than anyone did from her nightly walks when they first arrived on Atlantis. When she couldn't sleep, she'd wander. She knew every inhabited hallway and quite a few uninhabited ones. It was these she led them through, reaching his lab and entering quickly.

Rodney led her directly to the coffee pot and he began to make a strong pot, knowing he'd need the caffeine before the day was over. Going to his worktable, he pulled out a box labeled "Hazardous Radioactive Material – Do not touch!" and opened it, handing Elizabeth a powerbar and taking one for himself. At her amused look, he just shrugged and answered her unasked question. "Hey, it keeps the others out of them!"

After quickly eating their skimpy breakfast and getting themselves coffee, they both sat down at the lab table as Rodney opened his laptop. It was time to start a slow, in depth search of the Ancients' records on this glue.

An hour later, Rodney was getting frustrated. His right hand, while enjoying its current location, was needed elsewhere. Preferably on the keyboard. One handed typing sucked, especially when it wasn't even your dominant hand. He sat back in frustration, bringing his left hand up to massage the back of his neck, subconsciously copying the motion his right hand was making on her neck. She smiled at the reflexive gesture and couldn't help but think, I_ could SO get used to this. Ignoring the hand glued to it, my neck hasn't been this relaxed since we first learned of the Wraith._ She couldn't help but wonder if he'd hire out his services and if she'd be able to afford him after this was finished. Her focus was quickly brought back to Rodney as he groaned in frustration.

"This is ridiculous! How can I type with only my left hand! I'd be better off having Sheppard type it and I know for a **fact** he uses the "seek and ye shall find" method when typing as he attempts to find the next letter needed." He mimicked Sheppard going up and down each row of letters before giving a pretend "ah ha!" and hitting the letter.

Elizabeth laughed loudly at that. They'd be there until next week. "I've got a better idea. **I** can type. Quite well, actually. How about you tell ME what to type and I'll do the typing? Sound good?"

That's how Radek Zelenka found them 3 hours later and he stopped in his tracks, shocked at the sight of Elizabeth typing. Rodney was letting someone touch his computer! Not only was that someone touching it, but Rodney was actually giving her a neck massage as she worked! Radek couldn't even begin to think of what kind of persuasion it had taken and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. He slowly backed out of the lab, leaving the occupants unaware he was ever even there as they continued their work.


	5. Chapter 5

**Stuck on You – Chapter 5**

"That's it. We're done." Elizabeth pushed away from the computer and stretched, then slumped down in the chair. "We need to stop for the evening. I can't even see straight anymore. Besides, we need to eat. We totally missed lunch and if I see one more powerbar I'm going to lose it."

She knew she sounded testy, and to be honest, she was. For the first several hours, she and Rodney had been lost in their research, working so fluidly together, you'd think they'd done it for years. But…over the last few hours, everything from the way he clucked his tongue while reading over her shoulder to the way he rattled the wrappers on those STUPID energy bars he kept eating, EVERYTHING was driving her nuts! She had about** one **good nerve left. And the look he was giving her now, that incredulous surprise that she was stopping, look, was on that LAST nerve!

Rodney couldn't help but feel shocked. Elizabeth was giving up? No way. All they'd managed to do so far was determine things that were ineffective on the glue. Not much to help them. They couldn't quit now. "Elizabeth, we can't stop. We're making progress but there's so much more we have to go through."

Elizabeth sighed and rolled her eyes. "I didn't say stop for good. I meant stop for the night. Rodney, it's almost 11pm. I don't know about you, but I'm tired, I'm hungry, I want a hot shower and maybe even a bath. And while I'd much rather do that without you attached to me, it's not going to happen tonight." She arched an eyebrow at him. "Do you really find me so hideous that you can't stand another night with me?"

"What! No, of course not! I mean, yes, I can. Wait. I mean…Sheesh! How am I supposed to answer that! I'm gonna be wrong either way!" Rodney huffed out some air and dropped down on the chair next to Elizabeth's, still subconsciously being mindful not to hurt her neck.

"Elizabeth, what's wrong? You're being irrational. If our spending this much time together were by choice, I'd be in heaven. As it's not by choice and I'm sure you've got other people you'd rather be spending time with than me, I'm doing the best I can to be gracious and polite. You think you're the only one who needs a bath? My hair is threatening to turn loose completely if I don't wash it soon. And I'd love nothing more than to lie in MY bed and stare at MY ceiling with BOTH my hands behind my head as I go to sleep tonight! But since I can't, I'm trying to enjoy the time we get together, and at the same time, solve this as quickly as possible so you can get on with your life. Happy?"

The last part was said with such hurt and anger that Elizabeth's anger deflated. He was right. She was being irrational. And insulting. She looked down at him, trying to meet his eyes. He stubbornly refused to look at her, so she gently lifted his chin with her fingertips until he was forced to meet her gaze.

"Rodney…I'm sorry. That was mean and selfish. I'm just tired. And frustrated. Please. Can't we just go get some supper and call it a night? This will still be here tomorrow."

The look in her eyes was enough to soften Rodney's anger as well. She really did look exhausted. And he wasn't the easiest person to be around. And here she'd put up with him for over 24 hours and seemed not to be ready to chop his hand off to get rid of him. He allowed a small smile to show on his face and nodded slowly. "Alright. Let's be done. Besides, we have spaghetti for dinner tonight. If there's enough left, we might even get a meatball."

She laughed at that and he relaxed fully. That wasn't too bad. He usually had worse fights within 15 minutes of being with someone. This was a record for him. Or she was just that good. He wasn't sure which, but she hadn't even complained when everyone stared at them in the hallway yesterday. Yesterday….the stares…

"Uh oh. Elizabeth, are you sure the commissary is such a good idea? There may still be people there. Are you ready for the stares?" Rodney had to admit, he didn't mind. Like he was gonna care that people saw him attached to a beautiful woman? Duh. But Elizabeth might care.

She looked him in the eye and raised an eyebrow like she used to see the Jaffa Teal'c do and said in the most daring voice she could handle. "I can handle it. Can you? This may harm your chances with that girl."

Rodney was honestly puzzled at that. "What girl?"

Elizabeth smiled, "The one I heard you and John talking about last week. He was telling you to go for it and you told him you didn't think you had a chance and weren't about to risk your friendship." Rodney stared at her, cheeks coloring slightly and doing an impressive goldfish impersonation. Elizabeth just laughed. "What? Didn't you know that NOTHING happens in Atlantis that I don't know about? Now…come on. I'd say I'd race you, but I doubt it would be very easy. So…let's go."

Rodney closed his mouth with an audible snap and followed closely behind her, before hurrying to walk at her side. They were liable to get stares, but if she didn't mind, who was he to complain. He was just gonna enjoy it.

They made it to the commissary easily, only passing one lab geek who never even looked up from his computer as he walked. Bigfoot could have passed him and he'd have done nothing more than mumble "pardon me" as they passed. Elizabeth smiled at Rodney as they continued on, getting to the commissary to find it apparently empty. _Wow. Someone's looking out for us. I just knew Sheppard was going to be in here. _She smiled even wider at Rodney and they went to the kitchen to scrounge for food.

Five minutes later, they both came out of the kitchen laughing, each carrying a tray of leftovers. They headed over to a table along the wall and as they sat down, Elizabeth's mood deflated abruptly when she caught sight of another person. _If you could call him that._

Upon catching her eye, Dr. Kavanaugh, who had been sitting in a back corner, got up from his table and carried his tray over to the trash. He slowly emptied the tray and placed it on the stack, and then made his way out. He stopped in badly-faked surprise at their table.

Why… Dr. Weir. Rodney. My…doesn't this look…cozy?" The sarcasm rolled off his tongue like it was greased. He smiled mirthlessly. "So how'd you manage to get her to hang out in your lab with you all day and even eat a late, intimate dinner with you McKay? Drug her? Bribery? Handcuff her to you?"

Rodney was seeing red. Kavanaugh was annoying on a good day. This late at night he was an ass. Elizabeth could see Rodney was about to let Kavanaugh have it, and decided to have a little fun at Kavanaugh's expense.

She turned, snuggling back against Rodney, sliding under his arm slightly and looked at Kavanaugh innocently. "Whatever do you mean, Dr. Kavanaugh? We've had a great day and hopefully an even better night." Turning her back on the shocked Kavanaugh, she looked up at Rodney adoringly. "Why don't we just take this back to our room and eat it there. It's about time to go to bed." She turned again to Kavanaugh with an angelic look. "I'm sorry, Doctor. We've had a long day and we need our sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow and Rodney's much more pleasant after a good night's sleep. Have a good evening."

With that, she began to start gathering her food back onto her tray in preparation to head out. Kavanaugh seemed to choke on…well, he appeared to choke on air. He turned sharply and stomped out. Elizabeth dropped her head to rest on the table. Rodney's thumb began to rub her neck soothingly.

"Don't let him get to you, Elizabeth. He's an ass. He was just trying to find some good gossip….wait a second. Are you laughing?" She finally lifted her head from the table and leaned back, still laughing so hard that tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I'm soo…oh…so sorry about that, Rodney. He just makes me so mad I couldn't resist." She giggled , closing her eyes for a moment to try to compose herself, but when she looked at him again, the smile in her eyes showed clearly. "You're not mad are you?"

Rodney looked at her in surprise. "Mad? Why in the world would I be mad? I thought it was well done. You didn't actually lie. We are going to bed together." He grinned at her cheekily and they both relaxed, finishing their meal in a very comfortable, companionable quiet.

As they entered her quarters again, Elizabeth was amazed at how much more relaxed she was than this time last night. _Heck, we've even managed to get this bathroom stuff down pretty well_, she thought less than 5 minutes later as she was changing for bed. Rodney was already as changed as he could be and ready for bed. As she finished and they climbed into bed, he laid as he had last night, smiling gently at her.

She bit her lip in indecision, then made up her mind. She snuggled up against his side, resting her head on his chest as she had the night before. "You don't mind do you?

She sounded unsure that Rodney would accept her. Like he'd tell her no? He let his actions be his answer as he wrapped his left arm around her, bringing his hand up to run through her hair lightly, repeatedly.

Elizabeth smiled against his chest, feeling the tension of the day catching up with her. She closed her eyes, listening to Rodney's heartbeat and almost purring with pleasure at the magic his fingers were working on her head and neck.

They laid there for a few moments in silence when Rodney asked the question that had been on his mind since yesterday. "Elizabeth, what's your middle name?"

"Ummm..what?" she asked, already half asleep. "Why?"

"No reason. I just want to know."

"Fine. Weston. And no, my parents aren't weird. It's was my mother's maiden name. My grandparents only had girls and they wanted the name to go on."

"Okay. I was just curious." They both settled quietly and Rodney once again felt himself drift off, listening to Elizabeth's breathing when suddenly…

"Wait a minute. Your initials are EWW? As in... Eeeewwwww?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Stuck on You – Chapter 6**

As the light from the rising sun hit her face, Elizabeth smiled. She'd been awake for almost an hour, but was infinitely too comfortable to move just yet. Rodney was still asleep, a gentle snore that was more endearing than annoying sounding quietly in the room.

_I could so get used to this,_ she thought with a sigh. _I wish everyone could see this side of him. _She lifted her head just enough to see his face and smiled again. All the worry and frowns just disappeared from his face when he slept. On the contrary, he had a small smile playing at one corner of his mouth. Those eyelashes she would practically drool over were so close so she took the opportunity to observe them to her heart's content. It was seldom she could stare at him, especially from this close and not get caught.

Unfortunately, as she stared, her brain didn't process that the gentle snores had stopped. "Like what you see?" He asked sleepily, eyes still closed and the smile growing slightly. He chuckled as she startled with a tiny gasp.

"Rodney! You scared me! Why didn't you tell me you were awake?" Elizabeth was embarrassed to be caught staring and blushed slightly. However, that didn't stop her from watching him since he hadn't even opened his eyes yet. _Wait a second…how did he know I was even looking?_

"I can feel your eyes on me," he answered to her unasked question, and she startled again. _That's just weird. I barely even got the thought out before he answered. Oh no, what if he can hear what I'm thinking? Umm... Rodney? RODNEY! _She yelled his name loudly in her head. _Oh Lord, please tell me there's not some freaking telepathy crap from this glue! I SO don't want him in my head!_

Rodney opened his eyes and looked down at her, with a slight frown. "What?" Elizabeth's eyes got wide in shock. She knew telepathy wasn't real, but with all the alien stuff around, she wasn't ruling anything out. "Elizabeth, what's wrong? Why are you staring at me?"

"Did you just hear me?"

"Well, yeah. Hard not to when you yell my name." Rodney was getting confused, and even more so as Elizabeth's head shot up off his chest, jerking his arm with her. "Elizabeth! What's wrong?"

Elizabeth gaped at him. "You DID hear me! Rodney, that's incredible. What did it feel like?" She couldn't believe this!

"Umm…what did it feel like? Like it always does, I guess. Sound waves travel into the ear canal, hit the eardrum and make it vibrate. Feels the same as it always does when someone yells in my ear." He smiled gently at her, trying to find out what was so wrong.

"Okay. What exactly did you hear? Did it sound like any other time I call your name?"

Rodney looked at her in confusion. "What did I hear? You said, 'Rodney! You scared me! Why didn't you tell me you had woken up?' I think. Maybe not word for word. And it sounded the same as it always does, though you seemed much more relaxed than when you're usually scolding me for something," he finished with a cheeky grin.

Elizabeth sat for a moment and then realized what he had said and laughed. "I thought…well, never mind what I thought. It's not important." At his raised eyebrow, she simply smiled and tugged him up into a sitting position. "So…sleep as well as last time?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Rodney yawned, stretched and answered without giving it much thought. "Mmmm…Yep. I could definitely get used to sleeping with you." As soon as the words escaped, he wished he could call them back and froze, his face flaming. "Oh! I mean…what I meant was it's comfortable in your bed. You know, having someone to sleep with. No! That's not what I was trying to say!" The more he tried to explain, the more flustered he became.

Elizabeth smiled widely at his verbal fumbling. "Rodney, it's okay. I know what you meant. And…I agree. It's easier to sleep with someone to snuggle with." She blushed lightly as she said it, knowing she was admitting more than she should, but seeing him so distraught, she couldn't leave him like that without letting him know she felt the same.

At her words, he smiled slightly, his cheeks still red, but not as bad as they were. "Um...Elizabeth? I don't know quite how to bring this up." He looked into her eyes for a second, and then looked down embarrassed.

"What's on your mind, Rodney?" She asked gently. She had an idea what it was, and wanted to give him a little encouragement to continue.

He met her eyes at her soft tone and took a deep breath, then blurted out in a rush, "Ireallyneedtotakeashower."

Elizabeth closed her eyes with a slight giggle. _That was so NOT what I was expecting him to say. And why am I so disappointed it wasn't what I thought it was going to be? _She squashed the disappointment down quickly, reopened her eyes, and looked at Rodney. "Well…we've managed every other obstacle that this has thrown at us. We can do this. And I think I might even have an idea on this one." She grinned impishly at him.

Rodney's eyebrow went up again. She was full of surprises. He needed to get her in his group of scientists the next time they started brainstorming. He shook his head lightly to refocus. Elizabeth just smiled and led him into the large bathroom. "Well…it's a big shower. It's big enough for two. We could…share." Rodney's jaw dropped and his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. His mouth worked for a moment, but no sound came out. She laughed at his reaction and reached out to close his mouth for him.

"Rodney. That's not quite what I meant. I propose we share the shower. With our underclothes ON. It's not perfect, but I need to shower too. Sharing would be better than individual showers. That would be a mess with out being able to close the stall door. Water everywhere. So…what do you think?" She looked up and met his eyes. She couldn't have seen the thoughts flying through his brain any clearer if he'd had a view screen in his forehead. It was obvious he had doubts. But as she watched, she could see the need to be clean outweighing the nervousness. Elizabeth grinned and couldn't resist adding, "Besides, now I can say something I've always wanted to. You wash my back and I'll wash yours."

Rodney laughed and relaxed at that. It was clear in his stance and in the way his thumb on her neck started to rub again. It was something she'd noticed he did subconsciously. Usually when he was lost in thought. Or was trying to make her feel better. Or sometimes for no reason at all. This time, she took it as his way to convey that he was okay with the idea.

Rodney put his headset in and quickly called Carson to have him bring him his toothbrush and a change of clothes from his quarters. Elizabeth looked at him in question. He smiled and explained. "I don't want to walk to my quarters wet. Nor can I stand putting yesterday's clothes back on once I'm clean. Carson's the only one I could think of who knows what's going on, won't ask questions and won't tell anyone else." He looked pleased with himself and she had to laugh.

While waiting, they quickly took care of a bathroom stop, and then gathered towels. They stood there in silence, both still a bit nervous. How long they stood there, she didn't know, but the buzzing of her door roused them. They went to the door, Rodney staying as much out of sight as he could to avoid any rumors from people passing by.

Elizabeth smiled and thanked Carson quietly. He just smiled back, looked at her sympathetically then handed her the bundle and retreated, throwing Rodney an evil grin on his way out. Rodney just rolled his eyes.

Elizabeth handed him his clothes and bit her lip to keep from laughing aloud. There, on top of the pile, was the gaudiest pair of boxers she'd ever seen. Black satin with bright red lip prints and hearts. Rodney paled and his eyes went wide, before snatching the clothes with mumbled thanks and tucked them under his arm. Carson was evil and was going to pay for that.

Deciding now was not the time to push him; Elizabeth led the way to the bathroom, grabbing a pair of scissors off her desk on the way. She smiled in apology and held up the scissors for Rodney. He nodded and pulled the shirt away from his neck. She cut from the neck down through the right sleeve, and he slipped his left arm out and pushed the shirt to the floor, then stood there nervously.

She gave him an encouraging smile and unbuttoned her shirt, letting it slide down her shoulders and off, and then quickly slid her pajama shorts off then stood there looking at everything BUT Rodney as he undressed the rest of the way. As one, they stepped into the shower, turning their backs to each other as far as Rodney's arm would allow. Elizabeth quickly turned on the water, and adjusted the water to make it warm but not hot.

She smiled at Rodney's slight yelp as the water hit him, and then decided the quicker this was done, the better. She handed a bar of soap to Rodney, got her bodywash and loofah, and lathered up as quickly as she could. As she rinsed her stomach and chest, she gasped and then thanked God she had worn dark blue underclothes yesterday. They were sticking to her like a second skin, but at least they hadn't been rendered see through.

Without even pausing to decide if it was the right thing to do, Elizabeth threw a quick glance over her shoulder to see if Rodney had the same problem. He was washing his chest the best he could one-handed. Her eyes dropped of their own accord and she almost gasped again. Rodney hadn't been so fortunate. His boxers were a light blue and almost transparent now that they were wet. Her cheeks colored, but it didn't stop her from giving him a quick glance from head to toe and back again before turning back and facing the opposite direction.

As she heard him moving behind her, she began to wash her hair. Her stomach did flip-flops as she mentally reviewed all she'd just seen. His back was surprisingly muscled for a scientist. Not to mention his shoulders as he moved. Even his calves were toned.

_Come on Elizabeth. You know you're deliberately avoiding the best part. _She bit her lip and thrust her whole head under the water rapidly, as visions of a very toned and quite nicely shaped butt, well defined in wet boxers, filled her mind's eye.

Her sudden lunge forward pulled Rodney off balance and he slipped backwards towards her. He turned at the last second, trying to catch himself. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. He lost his footing and he fell to the floor of the shower, pulling her with him. They ended up sitting in a tangle of arms and legs, breathing hard.

As they sat there trying to recover, Elizabeth was enthralled with the sight of a soaking wet, practically naked Rodney McKay. Before she could give herself time to think it through or talk herself out of it, she leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips, then sat back with a small smile and a light blush spreading across her cheeks. Rodney just looked at her in shock and a little bit of awe. "What…what was that for?"

The blush grew in magnitude and spread down her neck to her upper chest. Rodney watched it in fascination for a moment before catching himself and jerking his eyes upward. Elizabeth looked at the wall and answered quietly, "I don't know. It just felt like the right thing to do. I'm sorry."

She sounded so timid that it took Rodney a moment to gather his wits about him. He brought a finger up to her chin, turning her gently to look at him. His face was as red as hers was, but he smiled gently and leaned forward to kiss her quickly, more of a peck than anything else, but he just sat back and said, "It's MORE than okay, Elizabeth. You're welcome to get that kind of feeling whenever you want." At that, she smiled gently at him and gave him a quick hug.

They got back up and finished their shower as quickly as possible. Rodney had the dopiest, largest grin on his face she'd ever seen, and she had a feeling it matched the one on her face quite well. At least she knew he was okay with it.

As they were drying off, she heard Rodney growl quietly and mutter something. She turned to face him, only to see him trying his best to dry his hair with a towel and only one hand. She smiled and decided to stick with the impulses that had been leading her for the last couple of days. She reached up, took the towel from him, and began to briskly but gently dry his hair. Elizabeth figured she should have asked first and was about to ask if it was all right. As she opened her mouth to ask, she felt his thumb on the back of her neck start to rub slowly and gently. She closed her mouth without uttering a word. It was fine.

They each took their turn getting dressed while the other covered their eyes, though Elizabeth had to admit it was getting harder and harder to not peek. Especially with what she'd just seen in the shower. As soon as Rodney had fresh boxers and pants on, he handed her his shirt with an apologetic smile. She got it on as quickly as possible and with as little fuss and wiggling as she could manage, but had to restrain herself from trying to show off a bit for him.

They quickly brushed their teeth and combed their hair. As they headed out the door to grab breakfast and get back to the lab to work, Rodney couldn't help but wish they would always be this comfortable with each other. He wasn't sure if she'd be this relaxed if he told Elizabeth that SHE was the girl she'd overheard Sheppard and him talking about.


	7. Chapter 7

**Stuck on You – Chapter 7**

Though Rodney and Elizabeth had both gotten pretty comfortable attached to each other, they weren't as anxious to test that comfort with stares. On the way to the Commissary, they talked about it and decided to forgo breakfast and get right to work. They could always go during the off times and probably avoid many embarrassing questions.

They made it to the lab with only a few stares. Elizabeth wasn't sure if they were staring because his arm was on her neck, appearing to be almost around her shoulders in a hug. She was afraid they were staring because the happiness she was feeling was probably apparent on her face. She tried to get the grin off her face and failed miserably, only managing to turn down the wattage a bit. _Oh, forget it! So I'm happy. So what? After all we've been through in the last 2 days, just shut up and enjoy the happiness when you can get it. _Elizabeth decided her subconscious was making more sense than it ever had. Bless that little voice.

She decided to enjoy it. She'd have to get back to real life soon. She'd already missed a couple meetings that had been scheduled, not to mention the paperwork she knew was piling up on her desk. Thankfully, there had been no emergencies or even minor catastrophes. She kept her headset on as always, and knew if something major did come up, they'd call her. She also knew that it wouldn't stay quiet for long. If she and Rodney didn't figure this out soon, they'd pretty much have to let everyone know, simply because having him standing next to her all the time would need SOME kind of explanation.

_Though…isn't that where he usually is? Next to me, contributing as an equal, or just behind me supporting me? _The more Elizabeth thought about it, the more she realized he was right where he'd always been. Ever since the early days in Antarctica, when they had fought side by side against the government for more people and resources. Rodney had been the first person assigned to the base after her, and for better or worse, they'd been a team ever since. What was it Rodney had said to Kolya during the storm? "We're a package deal." At the time, she'd been too scared to realize what he'd said. And she was sure if they ever talked about it, he probably wouldn't even remember it. He was simply saying whatever it took to keep them both alive. She just hadn't realized how much truth was in his frantic explanations.

As soon as they reached the lab, they called up the information they had been working on yesterday, pausing only to get the coffeepot going to insure their caffeine source. After several hours of work, while both were focused intently on the computer screen in front of Elizabeth, it was clear that neither of them was using their ENTIRE mental capacity on the research. Elizabeth was alternating between mentally reviewing the image permanently embedded in her brain – Wet Rodney in equally wet boxers - and chastising herself for idly wondering if there was a way to work slower to lengthen their time together. She'd liked the Rodney she'd seen the last couple of days, but was sure that as soon as they were separated it would be more than just physical distance between them. He'd go right back to his old self.

Rodney, on the other hand was alternating between being worried she'd somehow found out about the tiny peek he'd been unable to resist taking while she'd been dressing, and mentally slapping himself for the silly kiss he'd given her earlier. If you could even call that little peck a kiss. Why hadn't he really kissed her? Shown her that just because he was a science geek didn't mean he wasn't a great kisser. Like all the guys in his science club in high school, he'd done a lot of practicing. He'd be forever grateful for Maryann Baker. While homelier than he'd even thought possible, she'd been willing to let all the guys in the club practice with her until they'd become proficient. Strangely, she'd never complained. Not even at having six dates for the Senior Prom.

Rodney was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of his lab door opening. He and Elizabeth turned in unison to see John Sheppard standing in the doorway with a confused look on his face.

"Elizabeth? Here you are! I've been looking for you for hours now. Why in the world are you in here on Rodney's computer? You have your own. Besides, we had a meeting scheduled for 2 hours ago."

Elizabeth realized with a start that she'd forgotten to cancel her personnel evaluation meeting with John. She wondered with a worried frown how many others she'd forgotten about. It dawned on her she hadn't even been to her office to check her schedule since this had all started. In fact, she hadn't even thought about her administrative duties other than fleetingly. She didn't think she'd had any other meetings planned, and she knew if an emergency had arisen, they'd have called her on the radio.

She smiled at John apologetically. "I'm sorry John. We just got into this and I forgot the time. Why didn't you just call me on the radio?"

John cocked an eyebrow at her. "I did. But when you didn't answer, I eventually came looking." He looked at her, and then at Rodney, who appeared to be giving her a neck massage, then back to Elizabeth. "Of course, I see why you were too busy to answer. Good thing the city wasn't being attacked, huh?" He didn't appear to even attempt to stop the knowing grin from forming on his face.

At his words, Elizabeth immediately felt for her radio. When she found nothing, her eyes slid closed and her face flamed as she realized the shower and kiss had rattled her more than she'd thought. She NEVER forgot to put her radio on before leaving her quarters. She tossed a quick glance at Rodney for help and was relieved when he actually caught the glance and took over with barely a hesitation.

"Oh please, Major. Don't be dramatic. Like we wouldn't have known if the Wraith attacked. Yeah, we would have totally missed the shaking of the city and the yelling and shooting and stuff." The sarcasm in his voice was so thick he sounded almost angry. However, Elizabeth had come to know him better than that, and apparently so did John. Rather than be offended, he just smiled knowingly, made a not-so-subtle apology for "interrupting something", and left.

Rodney rolled his eyes and was attempting to think of something reassuring to say to Elizabeth when his door opened again. He whirled back to face the newcomer with a snarl and a snapped, "WHAT NOW!"

Carson stopped dead just inside the doorway, startled. He must have known he'd probably have a fight on his hands, but actually faced with Rodney's ire, he appeared to lose his nerve.

"Carson, come in or go out. Either way, let the door shut. We're trying NOT to advertise all this, remember?" Rodney's snark came out again, but anyone who cared to listen closely could hear the underlying affection and friendship for one of his closest friends, Elizabeth decided.

Carson seemed to shake off the temporary paralysis and stepped forward, rolling his eyes as he said with exasperation, "A wee bit snappy, are we, Rodney? Unless ye want me ta surgically remove yer hand so the lass can get some time ta herself, I suggest ye calm yerself. I'm not here ta see ye anyway. I've got somethin' fer **her**." He motioned to Elizabeth, who saw for the first time that both hands were full.

"I've had a devil of a time avoidin' questions, Lass. Oh, an' be careful. Major Sheppard's lookin' for ye. Now, I know Rodney is used ta survivin' on those disgustin' Pow'rBars, but they're nae fit fer human consumption in my opinion. Now, from what I hear, ye haven't bin takin' regul'r meals since this started. Am I right?" Rodney rolled his eyes as Carson came closer extending his hands towards them. "At least take these vitamins an' eat this toast. It's nae the best, but its real food."

Rodney took the accompanying glass for Elizabeth while she took the vitamins and toast plate from Carson with, in Rodney's opinion, a very sweet grin. He looked down at the brownish looking liquid in the glass he was holding. "Carson, what IS this stuff? It looks like a liquid Powerbar. This is better…how?"

Carson reached to snatch the glass from Rodney before he could drink it, simultaneously saying, "its nae Pow'rBars, Rodney, its orange juice that's nae so orange."

As soon as Rodney heard the word "orange", he jerked his hand holding the glass in fright, accidentally spilling it all over the back of Elizabeth's head. She squealed, jumping to her feet with a "RODNEY!"

"Carson! What's the matter with you! I'm deathly allergic to citrus! One swallow of that could put me into a coma or worse! Why would you hand that to me!" Rodney was not to be calmed.

"Aye, that's why it was for the lass, nae ye." Carson handed Elizabeth some napkins, then tried to help her mop up as much of the juice as possible. "Oh, nicely done, Rodney. It's nae like she kin shower to get this off with ye attached. How's she supposed ta git this out of her hair?" He gave Rodney a not-so-gentle nudge to the ribs with his elbow to move him over and help Elizabeth.

Rodney stepped back, bringing his hands up defensively. "Hey, it's not like I did it on purpose. YOU'RE the….hey! My hand! My RIGHT hand! Elizabeth, Look! I have two hands!" He looked at his right hand as if he'd never seen it before or at least as if he'd never planned to see it again, an enormous grin threatening to split his face in two.

Elizabeth grabbed the back of her neck and felt nothing but residue, wetness and skin. Her OWN skin. She whirled to grin at Rodney, and without conscious thought from either of them, they crashed together in a celebratory hug, Rodney spinning her around while laughing loudly with glee. Carson was about to congratulate them and look at Elizabeth's neck when Rodney lowered his head and kissed Elizabeth full on the mouth! Carson froze in shock and was about to say something when he realized Elizabeth was participating fully in the kiss.

Carson stood there for a moment, and then wondered if he should leave. However, the horrible appearance of the back of Elizabeth's neck stopped him. "Umm…look, I hate to…interrupt ye, but I need to see ye in the infirmary. Yer neck looks painful. And Rodney, I want ta check out yer hand as well."

That said, he turned and left the lab. Rodney and Elizabeth, who had jerked apart at Carson's words, stood staring at each other, half embarrassed and half too giddy to care. Rodney was overjoyed just to be able to wrap his arms around her. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was simply happy to be free physically, but also to know that Rodney's emotions seemed to be running as deeply as hers were.

"Well…"

"Ummm. Well…"

They both spoke at the same moment, and then stopped. Elizabeth laughed and Rodney smiled wryly. "We've been spending far too much time together if we're even talking together now."

Elizabeth laughed again at Rodney's statement, and then stepped back just a bit. While his left hand fell from her waist to rest by his side, his right hand seemed to go to the back of her neck almost of its own accord. He frowned and winced a bit at what he felt there, and turned her around gently to look at her neck.

"Oh my God. Elizabeth! That has to hurt. Your neck looks almost raw."

"Really?" Elizabeth reached up and felt at her neck gingerly. It was a bit tender. "I hadn't noticed. I was a bit…umm…preoccupied." She grinned almost shyly.

Rodney smiled back, tucking her hair behind her ear gently. "Come on, we better let Carson take a look at us or he'd going to come back…with needles, no doubt." He put his hand on the small of her back, guiding her out the door and towards the infirmary.

"For the 300th time, Carson, I don't KNOW why it wore off! Something had to have happened." He stopped pacing for a moment and snapped his fingers with an idea. "Maybe it was the soap in the shower this..." At Carson's incredulous look, Rodney quickly changed tracks. "No. That couldn't be. It's an alkali anyway. We'd need an acid." He resumed his pacing for about three steps, and then froze. "Oh no. Tell me it's not that simple."

"What?" Elizabeth couldn't follow his line of thinking.

"If it's that stupidly simple, it would have dissolved the city long before now."

"What!" Apparently, neither could Carson.

Of course, if it's never encountered it before, it's possible…"

"RODNEY!" Their voices in tandem seemed to break his thought pattern and he turned to them both with a look of disbelief on his face.

"The orange juice. Ascorbic and citric acid."

"Wait a second… as in…Vitamin C? Rodney, surely Vitamin C wouldn't destroy glue that strong. It's too common."

"Are you sure, Elizabeth? Think about it. Have we seen anything resembling a citrus fruit since we got to the Pegasus Galaxy, other than what we brought? Any orange trees? Lemon? Grapefruit? Heck, a kumquat even? No. Not a one. Apparently, it's not something that's native to this area. And if it's not native, then the Ancients, as smart as they were, wouldn't have even thought to check if it was impervious. Why check for durability against an acid that doesn't exist? We don't even know if citrus existed when they were on Earth all those millennia ago."

At that, he fell quiet and resumed his pacing. It became clear as he began muttering again, but answering himself, that their continued attention was not required. He would figure it out himself. Carson and Elizabeth refocused on his treatment of her neck. A gauze pad soaked with orange juice seemed to be getting the last of the residue off.

As he finished and cleaned her neck off, he hesitated to tell her what had become clearer the longer he worked. While Rodney's hand was no longer attached, he had definitely left his mark. There, plain as could be while Elizabeth's hair was pinned out of the way, was a perfect handprint. He'd tried to remove it with a number of cleaners, disinfectants and even plain old rubbing alcohol. Nothing would remove it or even lighten it. From every indication, it appeared it was there to stay.


	8. Chapter 8

**Stuck on You – Chapter 8**

From the moment Carson had released them, life had gotten hectic. Rodney and Elizabeth started to head back to the lab to get some answers, when Elizabeth realized she still didn't have her headset on. They detoured by her quarters, where she grabbed it and put it on, then headed on to the lab. However, before they could travel even half the distance, she was paged to come to the Control Room. They both stopped, indecisive. She didn't NEED to go with him but she'd become so accustomed to being with him, it felt wrong to think of him being somewhere else.

Rodney looked at her with a question in his eyes. She shook herself out of her thoughts and smiled at him. "Go, Rodney. It's obvious you want to know, and I SHOULD work in my office once this crisis is settled anyway. I'm afraid to even think what my desk looks like. Maybe….we can meet for dinner?" The last was said with a smile and a slightly hopeful sound to it.

He looked skeptical; as if he was afraid something bad may happen if he wasn't there to see. But the desire to begin his tests on the glue vs. orange juice contest was pulling at him strongly. Finally, he smiled and nodded. "Alright. Dinner sounds great. Just…call me if you need me." He leaned forward, as if to kiss her goodbye, and then hesitated. She started to do the same thing. They both fumbled awkwardly for a moment, before giving up and pulling back with a laugh. She leaned forward, kissed him lightly on the cheek, and stepped back. They both stood there, eyes locked, lost in thought for a moment until voices coming down the hallway shook them awake. Rodney smiled and turned decisively, walking quickly towards the lab. Elizabeth watched him go, and then headed to the Control Room to take care of whatever problem had required her personal attention.

Dinnertime came and went with neither meeting for food. Elizabeth had become buried in work the moment she'd entered the Control Room and hadn't seen daylight since. Rodney, obsessed with his lab tests didn't even notice the passing of time. When his stomach growled, he grabbed a PowerBar and ate it while looking through his microscope and making notes on his laptop.

When Elizabeth finally managed to leave her office, it was completely dark outside, night had long since fallen. As she walked towards her quarters, she realized she'd completely forgotten her dinner plans with Rodney and stopped dead. _Oh no! He's going to think I just blew him off!_ She immediately began to formulate an apology as she walked towards his lab. _I'm sure he'll understand. It's not like I could just ignore all those….wait a minute. He obviously forgot too or he'd have called me. _She relaxed, realizing that real life had simply returned with force. Elizabeth switched headings and made her way to her quarters.

Once there, she took a quick shower and put on her tank and shorts to sleep in. She yawned and looked at her clock, surprised to see it was well after midnight. Rodney was surely in bed anyway. She'd make her apologies tomorrow.

Elizabeth turned the lights off, climbed into bed, and rolled to look out the window. About 30 minutes later, she rolled to her back and stared at the ceiling. After another 40 minutes, she rolled back to her side. 45 minutes later, she got up and opened the door, going out to stand on her small balcony. _This is ridiculous! It's after 2am and I'm exhausted! What am I still doing up?_ She sighed tiredly, and leaned forward, resting her arms on the railing and breathing deeply of the ocean-scented air for long minutes.

It was no good. She wasn't tense, she wasn't stressed, she wasn't even thinking too hard. She was just… _Lonely._ _I miss Rodney. I can't fall asleep because he's not here. The sound of him breathing, the feel of his chest under my cheek. How in the world could I become that addicted in only two nights? _She stood there for several more minutes, then went inside and lay back down, determined to fall asleep. She curled her pillows up and rolled to her side, resting her cheek on her pillow in the best imitation of Rodney's chest she could make, but gave up less than 20 minutes later. It wasn't the same.

She sat up, throwing her pillow off the bed in frustration with a growl just as the door chime sounded. A glance at the clock showed it was rapidly closing in on 3am. She moved to the door, opening it silently to see Rodney standing there in a t-shirt and sweatpants. He looked as tired as she felt; hair disheveled as if he'd tossed and turned as much as she had. He gave her a sadly pathetic look, his question plain in his eyes.

Smiling slightly, she led him in and straight to the bed, answering his unvoiced question. He quickly lay down, holding the sheet up for her, smiling thankfully as she slid in next to him. Elizabeth rested her cheek on his chest, her hand sliding under the hem of his shirt to rest lightly on his stomach and sighed contentedly. This was what she missed.

Within a couple minutes, Rodney exhaled deeply, his breathing evening out as he fell into a deep asleep. Elizabeth lay quietly, letting the soothing sound of his heartbeat and his quiet snores lull her to sleep with a smile on her face.

The sun was already fairly high in the sky when Elizabeth stirred for the first time the next day. She turned her face to the window, basking in the sunlight and heard a small laugh, accompanied by a slight vibration under her cheek, and fingers threading through her hair softly. She smiled and tilted her face up, opening her eyes slowly. "Good morning."

Rodney smiled back at her, somewhat nervously. "Umm…hi. Look, I'm sorry about last night. I tried to fall asleep for hours. My mattress is too hard or something. I just couldn't get comfortable."

Elizabeth laughed lightly. "Strange. My mattress was uncomfortable too. But I slept fine after you got here." The last was said with a raised eyebrow, but Rodney caught the humor in her voice. "Must be that extra padding," she added with a pat to his stomach.

"Hey! There's not that much padding!" He gave her an indignant look, finally gave in and laughed with her, and then grew serious for a moment. "You don't mind, do you?" At the shake of her head, he smiled broadly, and then adopted a mock serious look. "You know…we may just have to continue this. I mean, it wouldn't be good for the chief scientist to show up for work exhausted every day. And what about the expedition leader? You have to be well rested to do your job properly." Here he adopted a self-sacrificing look. "Well, for the good of the mission, you understand, I'm willing to offer my services as pillow if it helps you rest." He was doing his best to appear put out, but Elizabeth could feel the tension in his fingers, which had slipped back to the back of her neck to massage gently.

She smiled at him with a wink. "Oh…I'm sure we can work something out. I mean, we can't have our senior staff sub par. Speaking of which, just a second."

Elizabeth sat up on the side of the bed, grabbed her headset and called the Control Room, while warning Rodney to stay as quiet as he could. She explained to the technician in charge that she had several things to take care of, so she wouldn't be in for a while. As the tech asked her for her opinion on a few situations that had arisen, Rodney got bored. He began to trace random patterns on her back, and grinned as she jumped when he hit her sides. She turned to glare at him, and then stuck her tongue out at him before answering the tech.

Rodney was impressed. She didn't miss a beat, so he decided to intensify his efforts. He started by trailing his fingers down her back again, deliberately scraping his nails lightly as he reached her sides. She squirmed again, but didn't make a sound. Next, he dragged one fingernail from just under her arm down her side and up under the hem of her shirt to again scrape at her side. This time, Elizabeth stumbled over her words, and batted his hand away, trying to wrap up the conversation quickly.

He decided to go for broke and sat up. With no warning, he leaned forward and kissed the side of her neck. She gasped and grabbed the pillow next to her. She abruptly ended the conversation over her headset, and spun, knocking Rodney over with the pillow. He roared in indignation and immediately grabbed his own weapon.

For the next five minutes, anyone walking past Elizabeth's quarters would have heard squeals, thuds, groans and laughter. With one final swing, Elizabeth collapsed on her bed, breathing hard and still chuckling quietly. Rodney, seeing she'd surrendered, sat down next to her, grinning happily, also out of breath.

Elizabeth hadn't realized how much she needed that. While she slept well once Rodney had arrived, she'd been tense all afternoon yesterday, and even had some underlying tension since awaking. As nice as having someone to wake up with felt, she had worried if they would be able to talk and still relate to each other. While she didn't want him stuck to her forever, she had enjoyed their time together and didn't want the newfound closeness to end.

She sat up next to Rodney, and then leaned to rest her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh. She knew they had to get going, and that work wouldn't wait forever. As she opened her mouth to say as much, she felt Rodney's hand come up to massage her neck. She smiled and decided to stay quiet for a few minutes longer and enjoy things while she could. He seemed to need the connection as much as she did.

Rodney's fingers continued their massage for another minute, and then stopped abruptly as he realized something didn't feel right. "What the…?" He leaned back and pulled the hair on her neck aside. He stared closely at the handprint on her neck, rubbing his thumb across it gently, feeling the scar-like tissue. "Does it hurt?"

She smiled at his concern, and reached up to cover his hand with her own. "No, not at all. I can't even feel it. Carson said he's not sure what happened, only that it appears to be permanent. He said it may fade over time, but he can't say for sure."

Elizabeth didn't seem too upset about it, so he just smiled, tracing the mark again. He couldn't help but be pleased that she wasn't upset. He knew once people found out, it would be like he'd placed a "Property of Rodney McKay- Do Not Touch" sign on her. And HE certainly wasn't complaining.

He leaned forward and kissed the handprint softly, then stood and offered her a hand. "Come on. Food and work waits for no man…or his woman," he announced with a leering grin. She raised her eyebrow at him over that one and muttered, "Cheeky bugger," but otherwise stayed quiet. He waited while she cleaned up and dressed, and then they headed to his quarters where they reversed the roles.

Together, they headed to the Commissary for their breakfast. The room was packed as it was after 11 and right in the middle of the first lunch rush. They grabbed food and sat at a table. Minutes later, they were joined by Carson, Major Sheppard and Teyla. It didn't take long before the Major began to tease Elizabeth about her scarcity the last few days.

"Come on, Elizabeth. Surely you can't find Rodney that fascinating. You were stuck in a room with him for all that time? And WORKING, you say? I know you have to feel sorry for him with his little crush, but make him cut the apron strings and work by himself. He's a big boy."

Rodney scowled at the teasing, but was content to let it ride. Normally, he'd jump to his own defense, but he knew things that the Major didn't know, and he wasn't going to risk everyone finding out and embarrassing Elizabeth just to shut John up.

Elizabeth, however, didn't seem to mind the risk. Apparently she wasn't planning on keeping this…whatever they had…a secret, either. She reached over and linked her fingers together with Rodney's, placing their joined hands on the table in plain view. She smiled at John sweetly. "But what if I don't want him somewhere else? Maybe I like having him close. Besides…" Here, she couldn't resist a saucy wink and whispered conspiratorially, "…I LIKE having him stuck on me. It's amazing what hidden talents a genius has."

As John's jaw dropped, Elizabeth sat back with a satisfied grin, trying her best to look like the cat that ate the cream. Which really wasn't hard. She WAS quite happy to continue this relationship, wherever it may lead. Glancing at Rodney out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth had to bite the inside of her cheek to hold back the laugh threatening to erupt. At first he appeared as shell-shocked as John, but quickly snapped his mouth shut and then smiled the largest, toothiest, GOOFIEST grin she'd ever seen.

While trying to stifle her laughter, she leaned forward, accidentally dropping her napkin on the floor. She leaned forward to pick it up, her hair falling over her face and baring her neck. John looked at her neck, back to a still-smiling Rodney questioningly, then back at Elizabeth's neck. He sat there, mulling it over as she sat back up, before finally announcing quite loudly, and with a tinge of awe,

"Now THAT'S a hickey!"

**The End!**

Thanks to all who've completed the journey with me! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! These two just have to be let out to play more often!


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